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This Months Bad News: Trans States Holdings Inc

This month’s poster child for how not to run your commuter airline:

Trans States Holdings Inc.

After two incidents in the last four months, there’s now a $2.5 million civil penalty in the offing for Trans States Holdings Inc. from the FAA. But more crucial than the last two incidents, the problem really comes down to hundreds of safety violations on 320 flights over the past two years, all related to maintenance, after repeated warnings and reoccurring violations.

What is it I always say?

Maintenance, maintenance, maintenance.

See Below:

FAA Proposes $2.5 Million in Civil Penalties Against Trans States, GoJet

WASHINGTON — The Federal Aviation Administration is proposing $2,476,075 in civil penalties against Trans States Airlines and GoJet Airlines of Bridgeton, Mo., for violation of various maintenance procedures and operating nine jets on 320 revenue passenger flights when the aircraft were not in compliance with Federal Aviation Regulations.

Trans States Airlines and GoJet Airlines are both owned and operated by Trans States Holdings. Trans States Airlines performs maintenance and training on GoJet aircraft.

The proposed civil penalties involve seven GoJet+ Canadair Regional Jets and two Trans States Embraer 145 regional jets. The FAA alleges Trans States and GoJet operated aircraft when maintenance had been carried out incorrectly, and that the company failed to complete required maintenance record-keeping.

The FAA alleges Trans States and GoJet violated a number of maintenance regulations and procedures, including use of outdated manufacturers’ maintenance instructions to perform repairs; failure to connect a wing flap actuator to its torque tube, rendering the flaps inoperative; failure to document an inspection after an aircraft was damaged by severe turbulence; failure to document and carry out proper repairs after aircraft warning systems identified problems; improper repair of an engine oil leak and failure to comply with minimum equipment list regulations.

“Air carriers cannot ignore maintenance requirements or allow employees to take a pass on following regulations,” said FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt. “Safety depends not only on maintenance work being done correctly, but also being recorded properly.”

Trans States and GoJet have 30 days from receipt of the civil penalty letters to respond to the agency.

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    IATA Press Release: Global Safety Information Exchange Launched

    Montreal – The International Air Transport Association (IATA), along with three governmental aviation safety organizations, today signed an agreement to launch the Global Safety Information Exchange. Creating a comprehensive global information exchange to improve safety is the most ambitious private/public safety partnership in aviation history.

    IATA, together with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the US Department of Transportation (DOT), and the Commission of the European Union (EC), signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to create the framework and path forward to launch the Global Safety Information Exchange. The MOU signing took place following the opening session of the ICAO Assembly and was signed by IATA Director General Giovanni Bisignani, ICAO Secretary General Raymond Benjamin, US DOT Secretary Ray LaHood, and EU Vice President Siim Kallas.

    “Air is the safest way to travel. We achieved this level of safety precisely because governments and industry have cooperated transparently to identify risks and implement solutions. Today’s agreement takes the long history of cooperation to a new level by tearing down silos around the data that we have and sharpening our focus on the greatest risks to aviation safety,” said Giovanni Bisignani, IATA’s Director General and CEO.

    “We have a long history of working together with governments using global standards to lower the accident rate. In 1945, there were 9 million passengers and 247 fatalities. In 2009, 2.3 billion people flew with 685 fatalities. Every fatality is a human tragedy and reminds us that we must do better. Today’s agreement signals a new era of multilateral cooperation between industry and government to make the skies safer,” said Bisignani.

    The four organizations will start their cooperation by selecting the safety information each group currently collects, which would be the most relevant to the goal of improving safety by risk reduction. IATA will make the largest contribution of airline data by providing de-identified information from the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) program. This will include de-identified information from the 345 airlines that are on the IOSA registry (230 IATA members and 115 non-members). IOSA sets the standard of safety for airlines and aggregated IOSA audit information will complement audit information from the other partners in developing global safety priorities.

    A steering group will be formed and will have representatives from each of the four organizations. ICAO will act as the coordinator of the information exchange.

    The 2009 global accident rate, measured in hull losses per million flights of Western-built jet aircraft, was 0.71. Through the first six months of 2010, the accident rate was 0.64. Compared to 10 years ago, the accident rate has been cut 36% from the 1.11 rate recorded in 2000.

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    UPS Expands Boeing Airplane Health Management to MD-11 Fleet

    SEATTLE, Feb. 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Boeing (NYSE: BA) today announced that UPS will expand its Boeing’s Airplane Health Management (AHM) coverage to include its MD-11 Freighter fleet, in addition to the 747-400 Freighter fleet, which already utilizes AHM. AHM is an information-driven system that helps airlines better prepare and manage unscheduled maintenance events.

    The expanded agreement covers 38 MD-11 Freighters and 13 747-400 Freighter and Boeing Converted Freighter airplanes.

    “AHM allows aircraft maintenance personnel to be prepared to work unexpected aircraft exceptions when the aircraft arrives and will greatly streamline our operation,” said Warren Johnson, vice president, Maintenance and Engineering, UPS Airlines.
    “This will help increase the fleet’s on-time performance which is a great benefit to our customers,” said Mitch Nichols, UPS Airlines president.

    The large UPS freighters will feature the AHM Real Time Fault Management Module, which communicates in-flight information to ground stations for diagnosis and real-time operational decisions, using troubleshooting and historical fix success data. The airline uses this information to organize any needed maintenance operations and position the necessary people, parts and equipment.

    “Airlines need to have their aircraft generating revenue, so maintenance efficiency is an important initiative,” said Dennis Floyd, vice president of Fleet Services for Commercial Aviation Services, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “AHM delivers relevant information whenever and wherever it is needed while the airplane is still en route.”
    Airplane Health Management works through the MyBoeingFleet.com portal. Alerts and notifications are delivered to airline personnel through the Internet, fax, personal digital assistants, e-mail and pager services.

    Airplane Health Management is a key component in Boeing’s larger vision of the e-enabled airline, where information technology, connectivity and strategic integration promise greater efficiency and improved airline operations.

    UPS is the world’s largest package delivery company and a global leader in supply chain and freight services. With more than a century of experience in transportation and logistics, UPS is a leading global trade expert equipped with a broad portfolio of solutions. The company is headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., and can be found on the Web at UPS.com.

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    NTSB Release: Maintenance Causes 2008 Crash

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
    April 6, 2010
    SB-10-10

    POOR MAINTENANCE STARTED ACCIDENT CHAIN THAT RESULTED IN HIGH-SPEED RUNWAY EXCURSION THAT KILLED FOUR IN 2008, NTSB DETERMINES

    Washington, DC – A chartered business jet crashed at a South Carolina airport 18 months ago because of the operator’s inadequate maintenance of the airplane’s tires and the decision by the captain to attempt a high-speed rejected takeoff, which went against standard operating procedures and training, the NTSB determined today.

    On September 19, 2008, at 11:53 p.m. EDT, a Bombardier Learjet Model 60 (N999LJ) operated by Global Exec Aviation and destined for Van Nuys, California, overran runway 11 during a rejected takeoff at Columbia Metropolitan Airport. After the airplane left the departure end of runway 11, it struck airport lights, crashed through a perimeter fence, crossed a roadway and came to rest on a berm. The captain, the first officer, and two passengers were killed; two other passengers were seriously injured.

    The investigation revealed that prior to the accident the aircraft was operated while the main landing gear tires were severely underinflated because of Global Exec Aviation’s inadequate maintenance. The underinflation compromised the integrity of the tires, which led to the failure of all four of the airplane’s main landing gear tires during the takeoff roll.

    Shortly after the first tire failed, which occurred about 1.5 seconds after the airplane passed the maximum speed at which the takeoff attempt could be safely aborted, the first officer indicated that the takeoff should be continued but the captain decided to reject the takeoff and deployed the airplane’s thrust reversers. Pilots are trained to avoid attempting to reject a takeoff at high-speed unless the pilot concludes that the airplane is unable to fly; the investigation found no evidence that the accident airplane was uncontrollable or unable to become airborne.

    The tire failure during the takeoff roll damaged a sensor, which caused the airplane’s thrust reversers to return to the stowed position. While the captain was trying to stop the airplane by commanding reverse thrust, forward thrust was being provided at near-takeoff power because the thrust reversers were stowed. The Safety Board determined that the inadvertent forward thrust contributed to the severity of the accident.

    The Safety Board also found that neither the Federal Aviation Administration nor Learjet adequately reviewed the Airplane’s design after a similar uncommanded forward thrust accident that occurred during landing in Alabama in 2001. While the modifications put into place after the Alabama accident provided additional protection against uncommanded forward thrust upon landing, no such protection was provided for a rejected takeoff.

    “This accident chain started with something as basic as inadequate tire inflation and ended in tragedy,” said NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman. “This entirely avoidable crash should reinforce to everyone in the aviation community that there are no small maintenance items because every time a plane takes off, lives are on the line.”

    The safety recommendations that the NTSB made to the Federal Aviation Administration as a result of this investigation are: provide pilots and maintenance personnel with information on the hazards associated with tire underinflation, including the required intervals for tire pressure checks, and allow pilots to perform pressure checks in air taxi operations to ensure that tires remain safely inflated at all times; require tire pressure monitoring systems for all transport category airplanes; identify and correct deficiencies in both Learjet’s thrust reverser system safety analysis and the FAA’s design certification process to ensure that hazards encountered in all phases of flight are mitigated; require that simulator training for pilots who conduct turbojet operations include opportunities to practice responding to events other than engine failures near takeoff speeds; require that pilots who fly air taxi turbojet operations have a minimum level of pilot operating experience in an airplane type before acting as pilot-in- command in that type; and require that airplane tire testing criteria reflect the loads that may be imposed on tires both during normal operating conditions and after the loss of one tire.

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    NTSB: Reduced Visual References Require Vigilance

    Historically, about two-thirds of all general aviation (GA) accidents that occur in reduced-visibility weather conditions are fatal.1 These accidents typically involve pilot spatial disorientation or controlled flight into terrain.
    Even in visual weather conditions, flights at night over areas with limited ground lighting (which provides few visual ground references) can be challenging.
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    Feds Debark Unruly Passenger

    What: Southwest Airlines Flight 1402 en route from Phoenix to Detroit
    Where: Denver International Airport
    When: after 2 p.m Saturday
    Who: undisclosed woman
    Why: While on board, the woman “became unruly and combative” leading up to a physical confrontation. She was escorted from the plane into federal custody as it is a felony to disrupt a commercial flight

    George’s Point of View

    We already put US Marshalls on plane to keep the bad guys in their seats and so they don’t try anything. With all the recent misbehavior on planes, maybe we’re looking at the wrong profession. Do we need on board referees? A corner for time out? Nuns with rulers?

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    Airbus delivers the 30th A380

    The 30th A380 to be delivered was handed over today to Emirates Airline, one of the launch customers of the Airbus double-decker aircraft. This is the tenth A380 Emirates has received out of its total firm order for 58 aircraft.

    This aircraft will be on display at the ILA Berlin Air Show which is taking place from June 8th to 13th. Lufthansa will also bring their recently delivered, first A380 to the show and from June 11th an Airbus flight test A380 will be on static and flying display.

    Airbus has already delivered seven A380s so far in 2010, three to Emirates Airline, two to Air France, one to Lufthansa and one to Qantas. Airbus is on track to deliver a total of at least 20 A380s in 2010.

    Today five major airlines, Singapore Airlines, Emirates Airline, Qantas, Air France and Lufthansa, operate 30 A380s on 20 routes linking 18 major international destinations. Together they have carried nearly five and a half million passengers on 15,000 revenue flights and have clocked up almost 140,000 revenue flight hours. These A380 flights have saved 640,000t of CO2 emissions by replacing journeys that would otherwise have been made with less fuel-efficient large aircraft. The A380 has the lowest fuel burn of any wide body aircraft, needing less than three litres of fuel per passenger per 100km.

    The A380 is also a proven profit generator. Delivering an impressive double-digit percentage reduction in cash operating costs, it allows airlines to either increase the number of seats offered at little or no extra cost or keep the same capacity at a much lower total cost. This is one of the reasons why seven of the 17 A380 customers have already placed repeat orders and over half the world’s top international carriers have ordered it.

    Airbus has received 202 firm orders for the A380 from 17 customers.

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